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S. Korea gets Vikings


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Maybe now that the US is refocusing on fighting peer adversaries instead of just cavemen with AK-47's, the Navy will decide they need a replacement for the S-3?  To me, it would be a perfect application for a UAV.

 

Didn't know S. Korea finally opted to purchase some Vikings, I knew it was talked about last year but didn't think it actually came to fruition. 

 

 

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Given the paint schemes on other ROKAF jets I imagine the Vikings will look even more boring than they did in the USN lo-vis days... :(

 

Even then it will be nice to see them flying again.  I remember seeing the fuselages rolling down the production line in Grand Prairie (LTV) back in the day.

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6 hours ago, habu2 said:

Given the paint schemes on other ROKAF jets I imagine the Vikings will look even more boring than they did in the USN lo-vis days... :(

 

 

 

I agree. If they're going to be assigned to the S.Korean Navy...and if their Navy Blackhawks are any indication of their paint schemes.... it's going to be a boring grey save for the national insigina

 

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photos/airliners/6/7/9/1278976.jpg?v=v40

 

 

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I'm just surprised that it took so long for somebody to see the value in used Hoovers. Lots of rumors about other forces looking at them over the years (Turkey, Singapore, Brazil and Argentina come to mind). At one time I think somebody was looking at an AEW version. We may see the old girl back in production, though. Apparently, Lockheed-Martin in the past 4-5 years presented a proposal for, what was, in effect, a "widebody" COD version. With S-3 wings and other bits, and with a tail ramp to speed up loading and unloading on the flight deck.

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4 hours ago, DonSS3 said:

I'm just surprised that it took so long for somebody to see the value in used Hoovers. Lots of rumors about other forces looking at them over the years (Turkey, Singapore, Brazil and Argentina come to mind). At one time I think somebody was looking at an AEW version. We may see the old girl back in production, though. Apparently, Lockheed-Martin in the past 4-5 years presented a proposal for, what was, in effect, a "widebody" COD version. With S-3 wings and other bits, and with a tail ramp to speed up loading and unloading on the flight deck.

The S-3 lost out to a version of the mv-22. 

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The S-3 got shelved because the idiots-of-the-day in the 5-sided-wind-tunnel thought the submarine threat to the Carrier Battle Groups was gone. Now, we have Chinese subs popping up unannounced behind Carriers in the South China Sea, and Iran is puffing out their chest and deploying the 3 ex-Soviet Kilo class diesel submarines they have - two of which I personally tracked as they were being delivered to Iran.

So now, the U.S. is thinking about putting the Vikings back to work in the U.S. Navy as well with substantial upgrades to hardware, sensors, and digital cockpits.

 

A kit like this would have tremendous opportunities. Full cockpit, Slats-n-Flaps, wing/tail folds, Bombay, engine details, avionics compartments, a great weapons arsenal to choose from. Variants from the S-3A, S-3B, COD, and ES-3A could all fit in the same box!

 

Korean markings would be great, but the potential to bring back Hi and Low-vis markings from any era of the U.S. Navy squadrons is there for the choosing.

 

As a retired S-3A/B SENSO, I would love to have a 1/32 scale kit.

 

Tracy

 

BTW, other options were being thought of for the airframe. U.S. Customs, and Fire Bombing, but it never came to be.

 

Customs would be awesome for drug interdiction, and the Flir would be perfect for hi altitude boarder patrols with the S-3's loitering potential.

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On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 0:31 PM, VA-115EFR said:

It would be great to see some hoovers flying again. I always loved to hear their engines spool up. Is there a timeline to when South Korea is getting these? 

Me too, especially since on the Coral Sea it meant mail call was coming soon!

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